The desire for convenient personal transportation has lead to many different types of smaller-scale vehicles, including models that fold or collapse. U.S. Pat. No. 3,329,228, for example, relates to motor propelled carts, and particularly to a motor driven cart which is foldable into a small package for storage and transportation. U.S. Pat. No. 3,850,472 resides in a small car formed of two parts hinged at the top and adapted to partially fit one into the other, so as to reduce the bulk of the car when the latter is parked, sheltered or transported.
A foldable vehicle adapted to be transported in its own container on the back of a motor home, yacht, or the like, for storage or shipping is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,542. The vehicle is motorized and has a chassis and a plurality of wheels along with passenger seats. The vehicle has means for raising and lowering the wheels relative to the chassis between an operative position and a collapsed position. In addition, the hood, window frame, steering wheel column, steering wheel, seats, and roll bar fold to provide a compact, folded vehicle for a shipping or storage container.
A minicar is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,124 which can be folded into a smaller size, when not in use. The minicar is comprised of two main frames which are connected by a parallelogram linkage system. The minicar is unfolded and folded by swinging one of the frames in an arc with respect to the other frame. A separate linkage system is attached to the parallelogram linkage system to fold and unfold the rear wheels of the minicar. The rear wheels swing in an arc when the minicar is being folded or unfolded. The minicar has two stable states, the folded state and the unfolded state. In the unfolded state, one frame member is above and offset from the other frame member and the wheels are in the operating position. When the minicar is in the folded state, one frame is almost directly above the other frame and all the wheels are almost completely under the top frame. The minicar also comprises a foldable enclosure which folds into layers when the minicar is not being used.
A three-wheel vehicle, described U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,360, has two forward wheels that are driven and steerable. The two forward wheels and the single rear wheel are supported on a single-unit platform member that is molded from an engineering plastic. The vehicle rear wheel is mounted on a trailing arm that is pivoted at generally the middle underside of the platform member. This trailing arm is movable to facilitate three-point vehicle storage, as the vehicle rests on its two front wheels and on its then closely adjacent rear wheel, with the trailing arm in a vertical position. The platform member includes a plurality of pipe-like attachment clip/handles strategically located both within the bounds of the platform and about the periphery of the platform. The vehicle is intended for use by a seated or a standing individual. A plurality of accessories facilitate use of the vehicle by both a seated and by a standing individual, and protect the individual from the environment. Attachments that facilitate cargo carrying and protection of the individual are also described.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,533 a scooter is described that may be easily assembled and assembled without requiring lifting any heavy parts. The scooter may be easily broken down into a main frame, a drive portion, a motor portion and a power transmission portion.
A light, portable golf riding apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,126 may be electric motor or pedal driven. The lower weight of the apparatus is provided in part by using a tubular construction, with few, if any, panels, and portability is provided by having the apparatus formed from several sections or frameworks pivoting in relation to each other. In one embodiment, a first central section holds the power train and rear wheels, a front section holds the steering column, and a third a seat for the rider. The central and front sections pivot towards each other, the seat folds onto the central section and the steering collapses about the apparatus to form a compact body.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,417,300 is directed to a nesting passenger vehicle designed to improve access to subways and commuter trains by virtue of its reduced parking area requirements. A short cabin and a V-shaped frame permit the vehicle to nest or horizontally stack into other vehicles of the same shape in a manner that requires a small amount of parking space per vehicle. The present invention provides a significant parking density advantage compared to conventional, privately owned automobiles.
An electrically-powered scooter vehicle described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,695,021 for use by elderly, disabled and infirm people includes a self-locking connection means for connecting front and rear frame portions of the scooter. The scooter is convertible between three-wheel and four-wheel versions without use of tools. Automatic shut-off circuitry minimizes inadvertent loss of battery power due to failure to turn off the scooter. An adjustably lockable telescoping tiller facilitates use of the scooter by persons of all sizes.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,050,593 and 6,176,337 relate to a personal mobility vehicle having front and rear chassis members interconnected by a locking means. The rear chassis member includes alignment means for aligning the rear chassis with a suspension assembly of the front chassis. An adjustable seat assembly supports a user while preventing accidental disengagement of the locking means.
A collapsible vehicle having a frame, a non-steerable wheel assembly and a steerable wheel assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,235. The frame includes a longitudinal member, a transverse member, an upright member proximal to one end of the longitudinal member, and a steering member proximal to another end of the longitudinal member. The longitudinal member and the transverse member define a base plane. The non-steerable wheel assembly includes a non-steerable-wheel movable between a storage position within the periphery of the frame to a deployed position outside the periphery of the frame and extending below the base plane. The steerable wheel assembly includes a steerable wheel movable between a storage position within the periphery of the frame to a deployed position outside the periphery of the frame and extending below the base plane. A method of using the collapsible vehicle is also disclosed.
Despite these and other advances, the need still remains for a personal transportation vehicle that may be collapsed to fit into smaller spaces, including motor-home cargo bays, pick-up trucks, and other off-road and sport-utility vehicles.